Filled With Water was very well received at NewFest GLBT Film Festival in New York. Some 150 people attended the ON THE MOVE queer animation program on Saturday the 2 June 2007 at the AMC Theatre on 34St-8Ave West New York City.
There where 6 filmmakers present of the total 18 films screened. At the end of the screening all 6 of us where called forward for a short Question and Answer session. We where asked questions about what inspired us to make the film, to how we made the film technically. The audience reaction to my film was extremely positive, especially from female audience members, and from some colleague animators. 2 Days later we had an opportunity to discuss the films with other filmmakers and industry people at an organized industry gathering organized by NewFest. Before I left Australia I had business cards and postcards professionally made. These contained high quality, full colour images of my work, in addition to the session dates and times of the film at the two different festivals. This method turned out to be an extremely productive marketing and promotions tool, as I could easily distribute information about my screenings during different industry and social gatherings beforehand. I believe this increased audience attendance at the screening. The publicity office organized a web-based interview. Click here to read the interview. Also the lesbian Curve magazine reviewed the film:
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Filled With Water (Australia), by Elka Kerkhofs, is a charming animated love story. Wordless, the emotions are told visually, with music and with sighs. The main character's state of emotion can be tracked by the heart-shaped space in her chest...sometimes empty, sometimes full, sometimes throbbing.
I was very happy with my attendance to NewFest and thought it was all very well organized and I met some really wonderful filmmakers from all around the world.
My attendance at NewFest was funded by the AFC and the NTFO.
Watch Filled With Water on the big screen in San Francisco’s Frameline on the 16 and 24 of June in their FUN IN GIRL’S SHORT program and in Melbourne on the 23 of June in the AUSTRALIAN PANORAMA #1 program at MIAF.
